Health and Wellness for Humans and Canines

This program was created when I first started personal training professionally. A client was looking to develop her posterior, and though I knew that squats and lunges were good, I wanted to go the extra mile, to make sure nothing was missing from the workout.

So off to the library I went that weekend, borrowing a number of books; Jane Fonda, Denise Austin; really any book with leotards. Some unique, very effective old school exercises were rediscovered.

As always when teaching an exercise, the goal is to make sure the exercise is well practiced so it is taught for maximum value for the client, and though a more noticeble booty wasn’t a personal goal, if a client had a flair for a stronger derrier, then I would pursue it to the best of my ability.

So over the weekend the books were perused, looking for similar exercises within each one. I then practiced at least a few sets of each movement, meditating on the booty burn felt within each one and taking mental notes on the most effective.

As with any workout, the biggest muscles are ideally worked first, then the smaller ones. The gluteous maximus, (or butt) is the largest, (comprised of three parts,) so in this case the toughest exercises are done first (squats, lunges, and bulgarian split squats) followed by the researched exercises.

When it comes to working the lower body, squats (of any variation) are king.

For this workout, every exercise is a repetition protocol of 15, 12, 10 for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd set. If it’s a unilateral movement (a single leg at a time, then the same rep numbers apply).

If attaining the goal rep amount for each set is too easy with bodyweight, definitely add weight, instead of increasing reps.

Though doing all them in order will bring about the maximum booty burn, you could add any exercise to your leg workout.

After just a few weeks of doing this exercises, just twice a week the client was extremely happy! It was great for me too, being a rookie trainer, and seeing how happy the results made the client.

It was also great to have the added exercises for future knowledge too, as though it wasn’t a super common goal, the request has been asked a half dozen or so more times in the ensuing years, and is a great workout, for both men and women.

When my jeans are feeling a little light below the waist, I always know it’s time to stop skipping leg day and bust out some teeth gritting squats, lunges, and bulgarian split squats, even though they’re not always fun.

It’s always a smart pursuit, as besides the gluteous maximus, all the upper leg muscles are among the bigger muscles in the body, and by working them intensely you’ll often see gains up higher, because the body works together as a whole, rather than separately, and just like a complete whole food wide variety diet is the best aim for optimal health nutritionally, so is working the entire body, (booty included,) optimal for physical health.

My favorite line: “all the upper leg muscles are among the bigger muscles in the body, and by working them intensely you’ll often see gains up higher, because the body works together as a whole, rather than separately…”

P.S. I thought of you when I saw the DASH diet on the latest issue of “Nutrition Action” and mentioning how it was a good way to lower the blood pressure. Looks like a really good plan, though the reduction in protein would be tough!

Oh these are all good. I do bridges with a 25 lb weight plate dropped on my belly, also do the single leg as well. But by far, the one I think has worked the best, although harder are single leg deadlifts. I use a 35lb kettle bell and knock off like 4 sets of 10. You know where all of your muscles are after that 😛

Excellent suggestions! Those are great moves!! I’m going to add some weight to the bridges next time (usually do single leg on BOSU then switch legs, then do both, but that will be a nice way to reach muscle failure quicker.

As for the single leg deadlifts, I definitely have to add those back in! A favorite move with a 10 lb plate is the single deadlift into shoulder press, repeat 10x, then switch legs. Trying to do them without having the lifted foot touch the ground the other time. Great for balance, and the bottom of the foot always burns after.

Hey btw I tried the 1olb to shoulder press move yesterday after doing my single leg deadlifts. Ha… that lighter plate required sooo much more control after the 35lb kettle bell. However, I did not fall on my face 😉

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